Pins & Needles
by IsisIzabel
Summary: OneShot; Missing N/J scene during The Age of Dissonance


**Pins & Needles**

By: IsisIzabel

"Next!" Jenny managed through a mouthful of push pins. Her back to the door, she heard it open just as she located her tape measure underneath several yards of gauze and half of Nelly Yuki's fat suit. Her nose wrinkled as she shoved the heavy materials to the side and tried to stand amidst the endless river of fabric and feathers.

She opened her mouth and let the pins fall into her open hand as she turned. Her heart stammered in her chest when she saw Nate standing in the doorway.

He pursed his lips and gave her a tight, nervous nod. "Where do you want me?"

_Loaded question_, she thought wryly.

When she agreed to help design the costumes for the senior class' production of _The Age of Innocence_, her mind seemed to blank out on the fact that she would be dressing not only Nelly, Hazel, and Penelope, but Nate as well.

Sighing inwardly, she waved him in the room, watching as he swung the door shut behind him. The door clicking into place seemed too loud for the small room.

Jenny gave herself a mental shake and rolled her neck, trying to get her head in the game. She could do this. She could be a professional.

Squaring her shoulders she took one step forward and slid on a scrap of pink silk. She squeaked as she started to fall, the pins in her hands scattering. She braced herself for the impact, but felt two strong arms catch her around the waist.

"You … OK?" Nate asked, somewhat uneasy. He held her gingerly, as if she were made of the finest breakable china. He eased her back up into a sanding position.

"Balance: something to be desired," she muttered, straightening herself. She flashed him a quick grin. "Thanks for the save."

He gave her a lopsided smile. "Anytime."

She let out a shaky breath and quickly gathered the pins around her feet. "Shall we?"

Nate looked helplessly around the crowded closet that served as her workspace. "What do you need me to do."

She looked him square in the eye and didn't flinch. "Strip."

The expression on his face was priceless, and she wished she had her camera. His eyes went wider—wider than she thought possible—and his jaw dropped open like a trap door. He took a sharp breath and swallowed hard. "Um—"

She giggled and shook her head. "Just kidding. Hold still so I can measure you."

He gave her a stern look, but the relief was evident. "Not funny."

She shrugged. "I thought it was."

He snorted, amused now. "You would."

She grabbed a pencil from the side of her desk and circled him with the tape measure. Brow furrowed in concentration, she deftly took his measurements in a matter of minutes. When she finished, she was still frowning.

"What?" he asked, catching her look.

"I _think_," she started slowly, as if she were speaking only to herself, "that I already have a pair of pants that may work for you." Jenny turned on her heel and leafed through the rack of clothes she had already finished, triumphantly finding the pair of pants she had finished earlier in the day.

She tossed them quickly to Nate. "Try these on."

He glanced around and saw a screen she had set up against one corner to act as a dressing room. He ducked behind it and changed his pants as quickly as possible. He emerged and found her studying him hard.

Jenny circled again, slowly, critically eyeing him.

Nate shifted nervously. "They feel OK."

"They seem a little big," she answered, her tone distant as she visualized the changes she would need to make. It would be easier to alter these pants for him rather than make an entirely new pair.

They both jumped at the unexpected chirp of his cell phone. He walked over and dug it out of his jean's pocket.

Vanessa.

Feeling somewhat guilty, he put the phone back without responding, but he should have known she would see through it.

"Vanessa?" Jenny asked, her voice controlled and unemotional.

He nodded. "She wanted to know if I wanted to go to dinner…"

Jenny shrugged. "Not going to answer her?"

"I didn't … Jenny, we never really talked about what happened. You know. The night of the Snowflake Ball," he said, wincing at the memory.

She let her head drop back. "Ah, yes. The Snowflake Ball. Not one of my fondest memories."

He sighed. "Jenny—"

"Nate," she cut in, moving closer to him. "It's OK. You made your choice, and it's OK. I get it."

"So … you're OK?"

She pressed her lips together and gave him a longsuffering stare. "I hate to burst your bubble, but I haven't spent the last three months dwelling on what happened that night."

_It was only the first month, but why go there?_

Nate's eyes widened again. "I didn't mean—"

She laughed, shaking her head. "It's OK." She stopped in front of him and knelt. "Hold still, OK? I just want to take these in a bit."

He stood still, but relief pulsed off him in waves. "I thought this would be awkward."

She put two pins in her mouth. "What would be?" she asked around them, her voice muffled.

"Us, here alone," he admitted with a chuckle.

She snorted and removed one of the safety pins, closing it around the extra bulge of fabric at one hip. "Really?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I mean, after what happened with Vanessa…"

She looked up at him and took the last pin from her mouth. "I told you, I'm over it." She gathered the excess fabric at his other hip.

He smiled brilliantly down at her, his dimples making him look even younger. "So, any suggestions for where to take Vanessa for dinner?"

Her head down, she felt the pain sear once through her heart and she winced. Clicking her tongue against her teeth, she inserted the pin though his pants and pushed a little deeper.

"Ouch!" Nate jumped back, rubbing his hip where the pin pricked him.

Her face was the picture of angelic apology. "So sorry."

Well, she was _mostly_ over it.


End file.
